How to return time to the lock screen Xiaomi Redmi: a step-by-step guide

Did you pick up your Xiaomi Redmi to see the time, but is there a void on the lock screen? Or did the watch suddenly disappear after the MIUI update? This problem occurs on models from the Redmi Note 10 to the Redmi 12, and its causes can be due to both system settings failure and the conflict of design themes. In 80% of cases, time returns in 2-3 minutes without complex manipulation.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to return the watch to the lock screen, including hidden MIUI settings that are not obvious even to advanced users: how to check the time widget, reset the launcher settings, and what to do if the problem is caused by a system update, and why sometimes the watch disappears after connecting to the Mi Account and how to fix it.

Why the clock on the lock screen Xiaomi Redmi was missing

Before you start restoring time, it’s important to understand why it’s gone. On Xiaomi Redmi, it’s usually about:

• 🔄 Update MIUI — After installing a new firmware version (for example, with MIUI 13 on MIUI 14) lock screen settings are lost.
• 🎨 Change the theme – some custom themes from the Mi Theme Store remove the default time widget.
• 🔧 Failure. MIUI Launcher – System Launcher sometimes “forgets” to display the watch after cleaning the cache or forced stop.
• 🔒 Privacy settings – if the Hidden Lock screen is enabled in Settings → Lock screen.
• 📱 Hardware limitations on some models (e.g. Redmi) A1) The watch is not displayed when using Face Unlock.

The most common cause is post-update conflict, for example, Redmi Note 11 users often experience lost time after switching to MIUI 14.0.4, in which case resetting the lock screen settings (more on this below) helps.

⚠️ Note: If the watch is missing after unlocking the bootloader or installing custom firmware (e.g. Pixel Experience), the problem may be due to the lack of system fonts.

Method 1: Checking widgets on the lock screen

Most often, time disappears because of the accidental removal of the watch widget, to return it:

1. Unlock your phone and go to Settings → Lock screen.
2. Select the lock screen widgets (on some firmware - Additional settings).
3. Click Add widget and find in the list of “Clock” (or Clock on English firmware).
4. Drag the widget to the active area and save the changes.

If the Watch widget is not listed, it means that it is disabled at the system level, in which case it will help to reset the launcher settings (method 3) or install an alternative widget through Google Play (for example, Digital Clock Widget).

Make a backup copy of the main screen (screenshot)

Remember the location of frequently used applications

Check if you are using a custom theme.

Turn off Face Unlock (if enabled)

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On some models (e.g. Redmi 9A), the watch widget may be hidden due to the power saving mode. To check this, turn off the battery → Power saving mode and restart the device.

Method 2: Resetting MIUI themes

If you had recently installed a theme from the Mi Theme Store, it could have overwrote the standard lock screen settings to return the watch:

1. Open the Themes app (icon with brush).
2. Go to My Themes and select Standard (or Default)
3. Confirm the application of the theme and wait for the process to be completed.
4. Restart your phone – the watch should appear on the lock screen.

If the standard theme doesn’t work, try another official theme (like MIUI Classic) and go back to the standard one.

⚠️ Note: Redmi with MediaTek processor (e.g. Redmi) 10C) It can take up to 5 minutes to reset the themes. Don't interrupt the process, even if the screen is frozen - wait for the notification of completion.

Method 3: Resetting the MIUI Launcher settings

If the watch widget is missing from the settings and the theme reset didn't help, the problem lies in the system launcher.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Search for Launcher (or MIUI Launcher).
3. Select the app and click Storage → Clear the cache.
4. Go back and press Stop (forced stop).
5. Reboot the phone.

After the restart, the launcher will restore the standard settings and the clock should appear. If this does not happen, perform a full launcher reset:

adb shell pm clear com.miui.home

This command must be entered through ADB (by connecting your phone to your PC).If you are not familiar with ADB, skip this step and go to Method 4.

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If the app icons from the home screen disappear after the launcher is reset, don't panic - they're saved in the app menu. Just move them back manually.

Method 4: Manually add watches through developer settings

On some firmware (e.g. MIUI 14 Global), the watch widget is hidden in the developer settings to activate it:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Find the lock screen item → Show the clock (or Lock screen clock) and turn it on.
4. If there is no such item, find Debugging → Enable the error log and restart the phone.

This method works on the Redmi Note 12 and later. On older models (like the Redmi 8), instead, you may need to roll back the firmware to the previous version of MIUI.

Method 5: Reset all lock screen settings

If none of these things worked, reset the lock screen completely, and it will bring all the settings back to factory, including the widgets:

1. Go to Settings → System and device → Resetting.
2. Select Reset the Lock screen settings (not to be confused with a full phone reset!).
3. Confirm the action and wait until it is completed (it will take ~1 minute).
4. After rebooting, set up the lock screen again – the watch should appear.

On models with MIUI 14 and later, this method works 95% of the time, but requires re-configuring the fingerprint and Face Unlock.

⚠️ Warning: If there is still no root access or custom recovery on the phone after resetting the clock (for example, root access or custom recovery is installed on the phone, TWRP). In this case, you may need to flash through Fastboot.

Additional Advice and Frequent Mistakes

Here’s what to check if the watch never came out:

• ⏰ Check the date and time settings: go to Settings → System system → Date and time and make sure Automotive Mode is enabled (otherwise the clock may not be displayed due to synchronization failure).
• 🔋 Turn off battery optimization for system applications: in Settings → Battery → Optimize the battery and find it MIUI Launcher and Watch, then select Unlimited.
• 📱 Try another way to unlock: If you use Face Unlock, switch to Face Unlock temporarily. PIN-code or fingerprint – sometimes it returns the clock.
• 🔄 Update your firmware to the latest version: go to Settings → Update the system and check for updates (especially relevant for the Redmi Note 11 with). MIUI 13).

Many users make a mistake using third-party launchers (like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair) that often conflict with MIUI system widgets. If you installed an alternative launcher, go back to the standard MIUI Launcher and check the display of the watch.

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If the watch is missing after the MIUI update, try resetting the launcher settings first (Method 3) – this solves the problem in 70% of cases without losing data.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the watch on the lock screen Xiaomi